Knitting needle and method of making same



Feb. 24, 1931. MARX 1,794,309

KNITTING NEEDLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Sept. 30 1922 5 F 7 lllllA-umlVllllllll @MMHIIV/l/WV/l 4 Q l 3 l i k ficamazlwarw,

5 flfivrm y Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES RICHARD MARX, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA KNITTING NEEDLE AND METHOD OF'MAKING SAME I i Applicationfileii September 30, l922. Serial No. 591,537.

One object of this invention is toprovide a knitting needle which, while possessing the highest uniformity of structure and dimensions, shall also possess materially improved 5 physical characteristics as regards its strength, resiliency and useful life, its construction being such as to reduce'to a minimum the amount of play between the latch and the walls of the slot in which it is mounted.

It is further desired to provide a novel method whereby it is possible to make knitting needles more cheaply and accurately than has hitherto been the case, the invention in- 1 eluding a novel succession of steps whereby it shall be possible to produce needles of the highestgrade without the necessity for highly skilled labor and with the utilization of relatively inexpensive raw material.

I further desire to provide a method of making knitting needles which shall include a novel procedure for making and introducing the pivot for the latch, the method especially contemplating a procedure involving a reduction in the number of operations necessary and permitting of the highest degree of accuracy in the finished product.

These objects and other advantageous ends I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in

which,

Fig. l is a plan of a sheet metal blank made by the first step of my novel method;

Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive are plans of a needle blank, illustrating the several steps of my method;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the finished needle;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section on a greatly enlarged scale, taken through the latch end of a needle blank, showing the pivot in its displaced position;

Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged longitudinal sections respectively of the latch end of the needle blank and of a plate or sheet carrying a pivot ready for insertion in said needle blank; and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the latch end of a needle, showing the pivot and latch in their final positions.

In accordance with my inventionI punch out of suitable material, such as fiat rolled tool steep, a double/blank, as shown in Fig. 1. By a second punclnand-die operation this blank is cut on a median longitudinal line" so as to form twoneedle blanks, each having the outline shown in Fig. '2. The body l of each blank is given the exact shape desired for-the body of the finished needle and has at one end a lateral extension 2 constituting a butt. The side edges of the butt and body are particularly characterized in that they are accurately at right angles with the plane of the blank rather than moreor less rounded.

. I now punch the hole '3 for-the latch pivot and the plug of materialremoved from this hole may,-according to one form of my invention, be but partially displaced, as shown in Fig. 7, sothat one end of it is frictionally held in place. If desiredhowever, it may be completely removed as shown in Fig. 8. Bythe use of a suitable milling tool or other wise a longitudinally extending slot 5 is now formed for the receptionof the latch.

Thereafter the adjacent extremityof the blank-is ground to the desired form and is given a substantially semicircular curvature to form the hook 6 of the needle. A previously formed latch 7 of. suitable form-is now inserted in the slot 5 and by suitable tools the plug 4'is forced back into thehole 3 through the pivot opening in said latch, as shown in Fig. 10, so that it forms the pivot for the latch,

If the punching or plug t'has been completely removed from the pivot hole 3, as shown in Fig. 8,1". may provide a pivot of steel or other material offany desired temperby partially punching out of a sheet 8 a plug 4a of adiameter slightly greater than.

that of the pivot hole 3, so that said punching is' still retained in,although it projects from, said plate or piece 8. V The lattermay now be conveniently manipulatedto position the pivot plug la in or immediately adjacent the pivot hole 3, after Which'by means-of suitable tools it may be forced out'of the sheet 8 from which it is, formed and into said pivot hole, thereby retaining the latch in position s IPATET]FF:IE

therein as desired. Finally the needle is tempered and hardened as desired.

From the above description it will be appreciated that my needle is one which does not require for its manufacture anything more than the ordinary skill of a machinist.

It moreover permits the use of. high carbon steel, since there is no necessity for swaging,

flattening or straightening operations which are customarily required when the needle is made out'of wire stock. The sheet material employed is less expensive than wire stock as a raw material and the milling of the slot for the latch aswell as the punching operation for the pivot, are materially cheaper procedures than those at present required by the ordinary process of manufacture.

Since the blank does not require to be,

swaged, the hook of the needle made in accordance with my invention is much stronger than that of a wire needle and the insertion of the pivot forthe latch is a simple and easily carried out step in the above described series of operations. Since the pivot hole maybe punchedwith the highest degree of accuracy and the pivot itself be made of the material punched out from the hole, it is possible to mount the latch so that it shall have aininimum of side playin its slot and yet be free to turn easily on said pivot. In 7 view ofthe fact that steel havinga high carbon content may be used, the finished'needle may have a high resiliency and. will possess a relatively longer life than would be the case in a needle made of low carbon steel, as is necessary when swaging and flattening operations are required during manufacture;

I claim: V i r 1. The method of making a knitting needle which comprises forming the needle blank, punchin a pivot hole in said blank while retaining the punched out core in portion of said hole, forming a latch slot 1n the blank, bending the blank to form a hook, inserting a latch in the slot, and forcing the punched core through the latch back into id :hole. A

p 2. The method which consists ;in laterally displacing a cylindrical core to form a hole part way through a needle blank, cutting a slot in said blank to intersect said hole, placing a latch in the slot, and returning the displaced core to substantially its original 1-position in the hole.

3.Th'e method of making a knitting needle, which comprises forming a needle blank having a pivot hole intersected by aslot', said hole being formed displacing from the material of the blank a cylindrical core as by means of a punch and die, placing a latch in the s'lot,--sai-d latch hav'ing'an aperture registering with said pivot hole, and forcing into said pivothole to pivotally retain the latch in the slot the said core displaced in forming the pivot hole.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a knitting needle comprising a body having avpivot hole intersected by a slot, said pivot hole being formed by displacing from the material ofthe body a cylindrical core as by rections, and punching out of .said blank a solid strip o f-metal at the center to form the individual needle blanks. RICHARD MARX. 

